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Jumping Jack Flash dodges his palace gong

TIME may not be on his side. Mick Jagger has again failed to collect his knighthood from Buckingham Palace because, his advisers claim, he is too busy.

Since his knighthood was announced in June 2002 there have been 20 occasions when he could have been tapped on the shoulders by either the Queen or the Prince of Wales and formally pronounced Sir Mick.

His fellow knights Â¿ Bobby Robson, the Newcastle United manager, Tom Stoppard, the writer, Jonathan Miller, the director, Trevor Nunn, the former head of the National Theatre, and Max Hastings, the former newspaper editor Â¿ all collected theirs within a few months of the announcement.

However, despite requests from the palace to Jagger, the 60-year-old has so far not obliged. Â¿WeÂ¿ve still not heard back from Jagger to fix a date,Â¿ said a palace official.

The autumn investiture programme begins next week and the first few are